As the size and diversity of the Hispano-American population of New York City has increased, a new tripartite pluralistic cultural situation based upon categories both physical and cultural has been emerging. A politicization of ethnicity is being played out in New York City schools. While Puerto Ricans are legal citizens of the United States, free to enter and leave New York City at will, the legal status of the "others" is precarious; many have illegally by-passed U.S. immigration laws. Their presence has important consequences not only for them but also for the nature of the interaction between the entire "other Hispano" segment and the American society. Even when political units acknowledge that Puerto Ricans are but one segment of the Hispano group, they are of necessity forced to recognize the Puerto Ricans as the political spokesmen for the larger Hispano segment. The Hispano often fails to make a permanent commitment to immigrate to the United States, thus further modifying the patterns of assimilation and acculturation taking place. [Due to the quality of the print of the original document, some parts, including tables, will not be clearly legible when reproduced.] (Author/JM)